Come As You Are With JON O'CONNOR From NIRVANA TRIBUTE

Interview by Kris Peters
Grunge fans rejoice as the raw energy of Nirvana returns to
Australia!
Direct from the UK, the world’s number one tribute to the Seattle
legends, Nirvana Tribute, are making their way back to Aussie
shores for their fourth visit, and for the first time will be
hitting New Zealand as well to pay homage to, and celebrate the
life of Kurt Cobain.
Tribute bands are a dime-a-dozen these days, and quality versions
are rarer than hens teeth, especially in the case of Nirvana
tribute acts. It seems every country has more than a handful of
bands claiming to pay homage to the original artist and their
music, but in reality turn out to be nothing more than
semi-adequate wanna-be's who are just in it for the quick
buck.
Sound harsh? Well I should know, having worked with one of the best
and most popular tribute bands ever, ACCADACCA.
There's only one other band that I have ever seen manage to capture
the raw intensity and musical brilliance of the band they are
paying tribute to, and that is Nirvana Tribute. Especially frontman
Jon O'Conner, who is that similar in looks, presence and voice to
Kurt Cobain himself that you could close your eyes at their gig at
the local pub and easily be transported back to The Duchess Of York
Hotel in Leeds back in 1989, standing in front of the actual
Nirvana in a smoke-stained, overcrowded and sweaty club.
Nirvana Tribute has been hailed as worthy successors the world
over, with countless tours and new territory conquered on a yearly
basis and even more that unfortunately miss out.
HEAVY caught up with frontman Jon O'Conner recently to talk more
about Nirvana Tribute plus the man and legacy honoured each and
every time the band gets on stage.
"The people seem to like us there," he shrugged when we mention the
band must be doing something right to be invited back for a fourth
tour of Australia, "so we'll always go back. We love it as well. I
think on my first visit to Australia, I was completely blown away.
Just the hospitality and the people there… you can't beat
it."
We point out the fact that Australians are known for their honest
nature in general, but even more so when it comes to music, so if
Nirvana Tribute have managed to win us over things are looking
pretty good.
"I think we would have known if they weren't happy," he laughed.
"They made us feel right at home on that very first trip, so I'm
sure the fourth one will be just the same."
As mentioned earlier, there are an uncomfortably large number of
tribute bands doing the rounds, with Nirvana being right up there
as the most popular band to attempt. We ask O'Conner how he feels
about such bands who ultimately only serve to denigrate the efforts
of others like Nirvana Tribute who actually take pride in their
work.
"At the moment there is an almost oversaturation of the market," he
agreed. "There's some substandard Nirvana tribute bands, but this
is the one to come and see. If you wanna see a genuine Nirvana
performance and go home feeling like you'd been at a Nirvana show,
this is the one that you need to see. Plus we bring a little bit of
chaos with us as well (laughs)."
In the full interview, Jon talks more about what fans can expect
from the show, headlining the Louder Than Love run of shows while
here, the resurgence of grunge music and how far he thinks it will
go, recreating the magic of Nirvana and what things Nirvana Tribute
do to make that happen, separating himself from the stigma that
comes with portraying Kurt Cobain, his thoughts on the enduring
legacy of the great man, what attracts him to Nirvana's music, what
people find so special about it, living up to fan expectation and
more.


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